by N Felts
on the darkest of days. After a long, hard fought battle for his health, my father, King Harkinian has succumbed to the very illness that plagues many of your families. I ask that he be in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days,” she announces, struggling to keep all emotion from her voice. “I know of your hardships. I know it may seem as though each day is dimmer that the one preceding, but I’ve called you here to assure you a brighter day will dawn. As your queen, I will not spend a single day within the confines of that castle,” she declares, thrusting a finger into the air behind her. “I will work with each and every one of you, and together we will watch as the sunrise grows brighter and our suffering fades away,” she announces, drawing a meager, but genuine cheer from the crowd. “The castle will be opened to anyone in need of food or shelter. We’re all in this together, and it’s high time we started acting like it.”
The pledges and promises visibly lift the spirits of the few who came to hear their new queen speak. Trust and happiness is a long game built up brick by brick, and Zelda knows this all too well. She will not earn the respect of her people with a speech. They will not sing her praises with some free food and lodging. She will need to show them she is not a ruler of people, but instead one of the people herself. She will share in their joys and their sorrows, and guide with her wisdom. Deep down, she wants to stand where she stands now, many days down the line, and witness the brighter day she’s promised. Not simply to gain respect, but to know a kind heart and steady rationality can right a capsizing ship thought lost to the sea. It takes such unbelievable effort and patience to build this sort of trust, and a single blast from a war horn to destroy it completely. She knows the sound well. The Bulbin have arrived.
Hylian Hero:
A Child Without a Face
The boy is strong, much stronger than he could have guessed. With every passing day the crisis afflicting Hyrule grows substantially more complicated. Navi warned him not to fight. It seems it was his pride he was fighting in the end. Still, the boy’s specific intentions remain a mystery for now, his magic gauntlets equally perplexing. The forest’s entrance comes into view and Link dismounts Epona near the tree-shrouded entrance. The flora nearest Hyrule Field has entered the late phases of decay, their leafless forms shriveling to wrinkled husks in the dry, relentless heat. Deeper inside, Link can clearly see the beams of light piercing the canopy of the lush foliage, the forest continuing to prove resilient in the face of a slow death.
“I can’t believe you lost!” Navi teases, her mocking words drowned out by the beating of hooves until now. “I told you that old sword the king gave you wouldn’t hold up in a real fight.” With an agitated sigh, Link endures the ridicule as he starts into the forest. A sudden flap of wings overhead gets his attention, the source revealed to be a giant owl staring down at him curiously. Poking its head forward, the large bird looks as though it is about to speak to him. In a heartbeat, Link has produced his bow with an arrow drawn tightly back, aiming directly at the owl’s chest. Seemingly shocked and appalled, the bird rapidly beats its wings, propelling itself up and out of the area in moments. A practiced series of motions returns the bow to his back, and the arrow to his quiver with a rapid, yet unconscious efficiency. In no mood to be further annoyed, Link continues into the forest, passing through Old Kokiri Village, and continuing into the Lost Woods. The distinct sound of an ocarina floats through the air among the sparse insects and drifting leaves. Taking a left at the intersection, Link moves through an old, hollowed tree trunk and into a small clearing. A large, dead tree lies at the center, and seated on top is a child dressed in a dirty, thatched tunic complete with a bell-shaped hat. Settled with his back to the duo, the kid rocks left to right rhythmically as he plays the ocarina. Either oblivious to their presence, or purposely ignoring them, the kid continues playing as they approach.
“Hey, kid!” Navi calls, drifting ahead of Link.
“Who you callin’ kid?” He distantly responds, keeping his back to them as a hush falls over the area.
“Tough talk, as usual,” Navi jeers. “You wanna back it up today?” Slowly lifting an arm into the light, he reveals the Ocarina of Time clutched in a golden gauntlet.
“Looking for this?” He asks with a mischievous tone.
“Alright, kid, hand it over,” Navi insists, seeing where the confrontation is going. Whipping his frame upright, he spins and points a threatening finger at her.
“That’s Skull Kid to you, fairy!” He shouts from beneath his horned, skull mask. “You want it?” He asks, dangling the ocarina in the air. “Come and get it!” He concludes, aggressively pushing off the tree trunk and launching himself deeper into the woods. A massive crack rips across the old wood in his wake as if Link needed a demonstration of the gauntlet’s power.
“W-where did he find those?” Navi stammers, in awe of the forest dweller’s blatant disrespect. A deep, relaxing breath later, Link pops his knuckles before charging into the forest after him. Leaving the beaten path of the Lost Woods behind, Link’s eyes dart about the trees in search of the masked adolescent. A golden glimmer in the distance catches his eye, and he doubles his pace to catch up. Without warning, an entire tree snaps at the base, screaming downward at the anticipating Link. Rolling to the side with ease, he produces his hookshot, firing at the kid as he leaps into another tree. The hook lands just above the snickering youngster, and Link soars across the green landscape to claim his property. With a carefree chuckle, the troublemaker dances away from the chain and around the trunk before hopping into the air and shoving this tree over just as the one before. Still being pulled toward the falling tree, Link is forced to tear his anchor free leaving him drifting vulnerably through the air as the wooden column roars past him. Bursting from the canopy, the skull kid thrusts a mighty punch, hitting the large, kite shield dead in the center. The gauntlets power knocks Link from his trajectory, sending him twirling back to the ground. Rolling into a safe landing, he quickly scouts the tree line, spotting yet another golden glimmer vanishing into the foliage. He has underestimated his prey. A mistake he does not intend to repeat. Staying low and moving quickly, Link listens carefully for the melody dancing through the trees. He’s long since discovered it’s an irritating game of hide and seek. The kid is taunting him with the music, but Link decides to use it to his advantage. Unable to locate the origin of the melody, he soon realizes it has stopped completely as he rounds another large tree. Another deafening snap later, a nearby tree slams to the ground, landing with a heavy crunch as Link narrowly dodges the mossy guillotine.
“Hahaha!” The kid laughs maniacally, soaring overhead once again.
“This is getting old,” Navi grumbles, unsure how to outwit their overpowered opponent.
Yet another acrobatic landing, and the pint-sized pest is searching the ground for his prey with a stiff hand across his brow. Giggling excitedly, he cannot remember the last time he had so much fun. The bobbing green hat becomes more and more difficult to discern as they get deeper into the forest. The mostly yellow and decaying landscape has grown distinctly more lavish and colorful, both around the canopy and along the ground. Not wanting to play the ocarina until he knows just how close Link is, he holds it near his lips, squinting downward. The arrow has already speared into the tree before he could see it coming, the feathers on the end slapping against his mask as it vibrates from the impact. Immediately losing his balance he topples off of the branch, spotting the approaching Link as he falls.
“That almost hit me!” He shouts, enraged by the sudden, non-lethal attack. Twirling his shield off his back and onto his arm, Link times the approach perfectly to intercept the kid just before he lands. Out of options, the skull kid causes the blur of thick bark beside himself to explode in a domino-effect of shredded wood, two trails left in the wake of his flexing fingers as he fails to slow his descent quickly enough. As Link prepares his game-ending strike, the masked nuisance aggressiv
ely pushes off the trunk just before the man in green reaches him. The tree snaps apart and falls sideways, as if a rug were pulled from beneath it, twisting slowly downward as the kid gradually soars out from beneath it just above ground level. Reacting quickly, Link hits a falling branch with his hookshot, flying between the whirling branches as the tree tumbles to the ground in a swirling torrent of leaves and light. Ahead the forest opens into a massive clearing, the ample sunlight hitting Link in short bursts as the tree’s branches conceal and reveal him. The added momentum of the falling tree accelerates the tethered hero even faster, closing the distance between himself, and the kid gliding just beneath him. Tearing the hook from the branch just before reaching it, Link manages to keep every ounce of momentum, flipping out of the leafy spire the instant before the tree collides with the ground. Just ahead of him, the Skull Kid narrowly managed to evade being crushed beneath the tree, drifting to a stop like an airplane hitting a runway.
Spinning around to determine the fate of his pursuer, the kid produces an audible squeak when he spots Link descending upon